"Twirls for Girls" Campaign to Provide Handmade Clothing for Donated
Dollies
Salt Lake City, Utah. November 16, 2007 -- As part of their ongoing
mission to "make" a difference, a team of crafters/authors from
YouCanMakeThis. com have come together to launch "Twirls for Girls."
This month-long drive is set up to encourage the creation and
donation of handmade doll clothes to Toys for Tots during the holiday
season.
The "Twirls for Girls" website provides free, downloadable patterns
for making simple, yet adorable, doll clothes. The patterns, written
in "eBook" format, include step-by-step instructions so that even
those who are new to sewing will have success with these projects.
The completed items can be taken to any of the 601 Toys for Tots
donation centers nationwide, where they will be matched up with
donated dolls and plush toys. The children who receive the little
pieces of clothing will no doubt have hours of fun playing dress-up
with their new friends.
In addition to the free patterns, YouCanMakeThis. com has specially
priced a selection of patterns for the duration of the drive, and
100% of the proceeds from these patterns will be donated directly to
Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. The organization will use this
monetary gift to bring Christmas joy to needy girls and boys across
the country.
Participants in this effort are encouraged to share photographs of
their creations on the website. For each item donated, they will
receive an entry into a drawing that will be held at the end of the
drive. YCMT customers who purchase the selected patterns will be
automatically entered as well. So far, 24 sponsors have donated over
$1500 worth of gift certificates as prizes.
The Toys for Tots organization actually started with a handmade rag
doll. In 1947, Diane Hendricks crafted the doll as a Christmas gift
for a needy child. She asked her husband, Marine Corps Reserve
Officer Bill Hendricks, to find a charity that would facilitate the
donation. No such organization existed, so Bill founded one. Toys
for Tots was born out of a spirit of giving of oneself, and today
brings the joy of Christmas to millions of children across the
country. The name of this supplementary drive comes from a skirt
style that has become very popular in DIY sewing circles. "Twirls"
are full, multi-tiered skirts that are usually made from pieces of
fun fabrics. With the free pattern, crafters will be able to create
dolly-sized twirls skirts not only for this cause, but also for the
special little girls in their own lives and communities.
